FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
INGREDIENTS & DIETARY CONCERNS
Our Alehouse cheddars, Lille, Brie, curd, and Havarti are all pasteurized.
Yes, some of our cheeses are raw milk cheeses. Our flavored cheddars and aged cheddars use raw milk. Like all cheeses utilizing raw milk in the United States, these cheeses must be aged for a minimum of 60 days in order to allow the cheese to naturally eliminate any potential unwanted bacteria or pathogens.
This rule was established by the FDA in 1949.
After the whey has been drained and curds have been milled, we hose it down with about a keg and a half of beer. Then we press it into molds, drain and age it for at least 6 months to achieve the desired flavor profile.
Our Alehouse cheddars use an extremely small amount of beer, which is dissipated through the aging process. Beneficial bacteria eat any traces of alcohol as it ages. The cheeses have been tested on several occasions by diagnostic laboratories.
By the time they have completed aging and are ready to ship, any traces of alcohol are so small - if they even exist at all - that they do not register.
Think of it as adding vanilla extract (which is alcohol) to a baked good for flavor. It is safe for everyone - children and expectant moms as well!
Because there is no measurable amount of alcohol in our aged alehouse cheddars, there is also no measurable amount of gluten. But please bear in mind that we do not test every batch for gluten or have it certified, and we cannot claim it is 100% gluten-free.
If you have a gluten intolerance, you should be able to safely enjoy our alehouse cheddars without any issues.
However if you have celiac disease, we recommend avoiding them to be safe. Please use your own best judgement based on your particular situation and dietary needs.
Aged cheddar is considered virtually lactose-free. During the cheesemaking process, the liquid whey (which contains most of the milk's lactose) is drained away from the curds.
During the remaining aging process, beneficial bacteria break down almost all of the leftover trace lactose into lactic acid. The more aged the cheddar, the more apt it is to be completely lactose-free.
Consumers with lactose-intolerance should be able to enjoy our cheddars (including flavored and alehouse) without issue as they have aged for at least 6 months.
They should avoid fresh, soft cheeses, including our Lille and Bries.
Yes, we use a microbial rennet.
Vegetarian-friendly: No animals are harmed or slaughtered to produce it, making it safe for vegetarian diets.
CHEESEMAKING & PRODUCTION
Cheesemakers start with fresh milk (often less than 48 hours old) and add starter cultures. These cultures ripen the milk by converting milk sugar into lactic acid.
An enzyme complex called rennet is added to the milk vat. This coagulates the liquid into a tofu-like consistency, which is then cut to separate the solid curds from the liquid whey.
Cheesemaking yields about a ten percent return. For example, a large vat holding 16,000 pounds of milk will produce roughly 1,600 pounds of finished cheese.
Depending on whether the milk used is pasteurized or raw, cheddar is aged anywhere from six months up to two years to fully develop its flavors. Specialized varieties, like Alehouse Cheddar, are aged for at least six months.
STORAGE & SHELF LIFE
Wrap your cheddar cheese in parchment paper, wax paper, or cheese paper. This allows the cheese to breathe while preventing it from drying out. Avoid wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, which traps moisture and destroys flavor.
Our cheeses are actually most flavorful when eaten after being allowed to warm up to room temperature, but they should always be kept stored in a refrigerator when not being consumed for optimal quality and texture, and longevity.
Store the wrapped cheese in your refrigerator's vegetable crisper drawer. This area maintains a stable temperature between 35°F and 45°F and provides the ideal humidity level. Avoid storing it in the refrigerator door due to constant temperature changes.
Replace the paper wrapping every few days if you notice heavy condensation or "sweating" on the cheese. Clean wrapping prevents unwanted mold growth and keeps the flavor fresh.
SHIPPING & LOGISTICS
We ship via UPS or FedEx, using insulated cooler bags and ice packs.
We use expedited shipping to ensure cheese is not scheduled to be in transit for more than 2 days.
Because we do not want perishable items sitting in a shipping depot over a weekend, we try to ship only Monday-Wednesday. We strive to get all orders out right away, but based on product availability, where it is shipping to, and day your order is received, it could take as long as 5 business days to ship.
If you need to ensure your order arrives on or by a certain date, please include that information under “Notes” at the bottom of the page before checking out.
We will make every effort to ensure it is delivered by then, but if we foresee any issue we will contact you to let you know or see if we can substitute a product for you.
We are always happy to include your personal message to your recipient! At the bottom of the page before checking out (it is more visible on a computer than on a cell phone) please include your message under “Notes.”
If you miss this step or forget until after your order has been placed - no worries! Just email us your gift message at sales@vermontfarmstead.com.
Cheese is a pretty remarkable and resilient thing! It is a preserved food, originally meant to be kept out of refrigeration. It is normal for your ice packs to be thawed upon arrival and your cheese to warm up a bit during transit, and that’s okay!
The ice packs did their job and kept the cheese cold during most of its trip to you. Hard cheeses such as cheddars have low water activity and can be enjoyed with no compromises to quality or safety up to 85 degrees; soft cheese such as our Lille or Brie should stay a cooler, but can withstand being up to 70 degrees for a short period of time. Just put your cheese in the refrigerator as soon as you receive it.
If you have any questions or concerns, please take a picture after it has been in the fridge for a few hours and any condensation has evaporated, and email us at sales@vermontfarmstead.com.
